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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28306578">Live Aid 1985</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandoms_Are_Life37/pseuds/Fandoms_Are_Life37'>Fandoms_Are_Life37</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hetalia: Axis Powers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>80s AU, And it has my IDOL PRINCESS DIANA IN IT, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Music, Concerts, Fluff, Historical Hetalia, In a round-about way, It depends on if you consider the 80s history, LIVE AID 1985, M/M, Mentioned Freddie Mercury, Music, One Shot, Short &amp; Sweet, Song Lyrics, Song fic, it's cute i promise, kind of, lots of music references, only a little</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:06:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,029</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28306578</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandoms_Are_Life37/pseuds/Fandoms_Are_Life37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>England is at Live Aid in London, wishing America wasn't in Philadelphia. Until, surprise, America shows up and they're cute and at a concert together. Also I said it in the tags but it has Princess Diana in it, which in itself, makes this fic awesome. </p>
<p>Jk jk but she is in it and I did my best to make it cute and kind of Christmas fluffy. I hope you like it!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>America/England (Hetalia)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Live Aid 1985</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Merry/Happy Christmas everyone! And Happy Holidays to anyone that celebrates other events around this time. I hope you like this fluff. Did Live Aid technically take place during the summer? Yes. But it closed with "Do They Know It's Christmas" in London, and that song always makes me think of this, so we're just going to consider this your annual dose of Christmas fluff. Also, this is an AU where homophobia doesn't exist because that's gross.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>England hummed to himself as Sunday Bloody Sunday played. His princess, Diana of Wales, was seated beside him, swaying to the music and making small talk with Prince Charles. England had never been a big U2 fan, so the performance wasn't very captivating to him. Still, the energy in Wembly Stadium was contagious. The massive crowd of 82,000 danced and sang loud enough that all of London probably heard them. </p>
<p>Granted, it was probably noisier in Philadelphia where, in the John F. Kennedy Stadium, his boyfriend and 99,000 people had gathered for the event of the dual-year: Live Aid. Sixteen hours of music, top-chart artists, broadcasts across the world, simultaneous shows in both of their countries, and a goal to raise money to combat hunger in Africa. </p>
<p>He'd heard America kick off the ceremony when it began in the US thanks to the radio, but other than that, he hadn't heard much about his boyfriend and how the Philadelphia show was going. It didn't matter, though, after tons of planning and the huge response from the population, they were sure to meet their goal. </p>
<p>"Enjoying yourself?" Diana asked. </p>
<p>England smiled. "Certainly." </p>
<p>"You don't seem very happy." </p>
<p>He shrugged. "I am. I just don't like U2 very much. They make me think of my brother." </p>
<p>"Ireland is very nice." </p>
<p>"To you." </p>
<p>She studied him for a minute, considering his expression. "You know, you're going to see America again next week. There's no need to be so distraught." </p>
<p>England blinked. "I- This isn't- I'm not upset about America!" </p>
<p>"You don't miss him?" She asked with a knowing gleam in her eye. </p>
<p>"No!"  </p>
<p>"Well, try to enjoy yourself. You poured your heart and soul into making these performances happen and they're going to help a lot of people." </p>
<p>She had a point, so he forced himself to smile when Dire Straits took the stage. </p>
<p>The headline was coming soon: Queen would be after them, which was bound to put him in a good mood. After them would be Davie Bowie, The Who, and Elton John. Then Freddie Mercury and Brian May would perform a song, followed by Paul McCartney and, last, everyone would sing Do They Know It's Christmas. All in all, it was bound to be an excellent night. </p>
<p>Dire Straits was just finishing Sultans of Swing when England felt a tap on his shoulder. Irritated, he turned around, ready to tell off whatever reporter had managed to sneak past security to leave him alone. But instead, he came face-to-face with familiar Carolina blue eyes. </p>
<p>England's jaw dropped. "America? What the hell are you doing here?"</p>
<p>"Well, I wasn't going to miss seeing Queen live, Iggy," He said with a grin. "Besides, I wanted to surprise you." </p>
<p>"But- I- How are you here? You were in Philadelphia, I know you were! You introduced the first artist, I heard it on the radio! So how...?" </p>
<p>He waved it off. "I was there for the first part of the show. Got to see Can't Stop This Feeling before I left, so it's all good." </p>
<p>England stared. "But you're missing the rest of the Philadelphia performers! What about Madonna? Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers? Mick Jagger? The Beach Boys? Kenny Loggins and- babe, Led Zepplin's reunion! You were so excited to see them perform!" </p>
<p>"It's not a big deal. I'm sure I can convince Reagan to give me the day off to see most of those guys some other time. And Led Zepplin is probably going to be a disaster because, from what I've heard, they didn't rehearse." </p>
<p>"But I-" </p>
<p>"Iggy, I want to be here with you. It's our big day, all the coordination worked perfectly, and we've raised a ton of money. It's all okay." </p>
<p>Finally, England felt a genuine smile spread across his face. "Okay." </p>
<p>Princess Diana smiled and gave America a quick hug. "We're very pleased to have you, America." </p>
<p>"Thank you, your royal highness." </p>
<p>"Come now, dear. I've told you a hundred times that just Diana is fine." </p>
<p>"Are you kidding?" England interjected, holding back laughter, "398 years of knowing me, including 189 years of British rule- and now, finally, he's figured out how to properly address royalty. And you want him to throw it all out the window?" </p>
<p>America snorted and Diana chuckled to herself while England gave them both stern looks. Despite trying to hide it, a smile crept through and he found himself laughing with them.  Besides, he had a sneaking suspicion that his princess played a role in helping America surprise him, so he could let the informalities slide. </p>
<p>Suddenly, the crowd roared. Queen was taking the stage and, better yet, England's boyfriend was there to cheer and take the empty spot next to him. </p>
<p>"This is so cool," America said as the first bars of Bohemian Rhapsody began. "I've never gotten to see them live before." </p>
<p>"I know. You canceled on our date when they were in Atlanta during the Hot Space tour." </p>
<p>"Thomas O'Neill wouldn't reschedule our meeting!" America whined. "It wasn't my fault!" </p>
<p>England laughed. "I know, I know, love. Still, I had to go alone!" </p>
<p>"You could have stayed in D.C. with me so that we could both pretend like we care what the Speaker of the House has to say." </p>
<p>"When I could have been seeing Queen? No. Now hush, he's about to sing." </p>
<p>The two of them sang along until the first two songs ended. Then, Mercury had the crowd repeat after him as he sang random notes. America found it vastly entertaining and even Prince Charles was willing to join in for the first few. </p>
<p>After Queen left the stage (preceded by a few more songs and many bows), David Bowie sang some of his hits, including Rebel Rebel, which was one of America's favorite Bowie songs, and Heroes.</p>
<p>America, somehow, got England to dance with him when Elton John delivered I'm Still Standing. Then America basically gave his own performance of Don't Go Breaking My Heart (shamelessly doing both parts of the duet) to England, during which the only thing England could think when he was looking at his boyfriend's blinding smile was, "Impossible, America. Impossible." </p>
<p>England wasn't going to lie, In the World We Created was a bit of a downer, but then Paul McCartney went on and everyone went wild. The night was filled with cheers and screams as the former Beatles member sat down at the piano for Let it Be. </p>
<p>"I love the Beatles so much," America said, bouncing on his heels. </p>
<p>"Well, it's not the full band," England corrected, lacing their fingers together. "But I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, even if Led Zepplin isn't here." </p>
<p>"Philadelphia isn't as fun as being in London with you, anyway." </p>
<p>McCartney began singing, but, for some reason, his voice didn't come through the speakers. America glanced at his boyfriend. "Uh... is that supposed to happen?" </p>
<p>"No," England answered, furrowing his brow. </p>
<p>"Don't worry, I'm sure the technicians are sorting it out," Diana said, patting his shoulder reassuringly. </p>
<p>"I can't believe the microphone is malfunctioning," Prince Charles grumbled. "England, didn't you help plan this event?" </p>
<p>That was an understatement. England had spent countless sleepless nights working on the project with America, both in the parlor of his flat and in America's townhouse in D.C. The tables had been littered with notebooks and used cups, half with stray tea leaves at the bottom and half with coffee stains. God, those had been stressful nights, full of speakerphone conversations with the humans coordinating with them and paperwork. It had taken a personal phonecall from England himself to get McCartney to perform, and now it was about to go down the drain. </p>
<p>"It's not his fault," Diana told her husband. </p>
<p>"Oh, Christ," England said, running a hand through his hair. "This will be a disaster." </p>
<p>America cupped his cheeks, coaxing England to look at him. "Hey, no it's not. It's okay. We've already vastly surpassed the goal, remember? We've raised plenty of money, so this can't hurt our target amount. And you don't need McCartney's performance to give the project legitimacy to some of those older, more difficult politicians because it's already happening, right? So it's fine. Besides, I'm sure the tech team will get it operational again in just a- there, see?" </p>
<p>The music cut back in and McCartney's voice echoed across the stadium. People cheered and England felt the tension leave his shoulders. </p>
<p>"The audience doesn't care. They're just happy they get to see him at all," America assured. </p>
<p>"You're right. Sorry, I just thought- Well, I want it all to go well." </p>
<p>"It is," America said. "I mean, are you kidding? England, this concert is going to go down in history. I can feel it. And guess who pulled this all off?" </p>
<p>"Bob Geldof, Harvey Goldsmith, and Bill Graham?" </p>
<p>"Well, yes. But you and I did, too. And it's incredible." </p>
<p>England smiled a little. "It is, isn't it?" </p>
<p>"Yeah. So just... let it be," America said with a little smirk and a little shoulder wiggle. </p>
<p>England rolled his eyes. "You're so cheesy." </p>
<p>"But you love me!" </p>
<p>"Yes, I do," England said, giving his hand a squeeze. </p>
<p>The song came to an end and McCartney left. Over the speakers, Bob Geldof began introducing the grand finale, a rendition of the famous Band Aid ballad. "I think you know the next song. It might be a bit of a cock-up, but if you are going to cock it up you may as well do it with 2 billion people watching it. So let's cock it up together." </p>
<p>Swarms of performers came onto the stage for the last song of the night and England could see his boyfriend nearly jumping out of his skin in excitement. </p>
<p>"Goodbye, Philadelphia Goodbye, America. We hope you have a good rest of the day," Geldof continued, addressing the Americans in Pennsylvania whose show was going to go on for another hour after the London one ended, "David’s going to start this. Ready guys?"</p>
<p>The crowd whooped and hollered as the song began, and the nations sang along, too, unashamed of shouting the lyrics with the rest of the audience. </p>
<p><em>"And in our world of plenty, we can spread a smile of joy. Throw your arms around the world at Christmastime!"</em> They cried. At the last line, America wrapped his arms around England from the side to hug him and give his cheek a kiss. But, high on the excitement of the night and the joy of their success (£100,247,450 raised for famine relief, two billion people watching the streams of the concerts, and 95% of all televisions on Earth were playing one of the two shows), he didn't even mind the PDA. In fact, he liked it. </p>
<p><em>"And there won’t be snow in Africa this Christmastime,"</em> They belted, <em>"The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life where nothing ever grows no rain nor rivers flow. Do they know it’s Christmastime at all?"</em></p>
<p>Different headliners took turns at the mic while the whole cast of the night sang behind them, dancing stupidly and enjoying themselves. No one sang in quite the same way, and all together, it was a mess of voices, but they all were happy. </p>
<p>
  <em>"Here’s to you, raise a glass for everyone. Here’s to them underneath that burning sun. Do they know it’s Christmas time at all?"</em>
</p>
<p>England turned around to fully face America, smiling like a dork and singing along. He looked so carefree, so enthusiastic, and so happy. It caused England's heart to skip a beat. </p>
<p>Faintly, he said, "Thank you." </p>
<p>"What?" America called over the sea of voices. </p>
<p>"I said thank you! For coming here and for helping plan this!" </p>
<p>"No problem, Iggy!" He paused and grinned. "Can I have a kiss for it?" </p>
<p>England considered him for a moment. "I suppose." </p>
<p>America beamed and tugged him in by the waist, kissing him hard as the people shouted the lyrics. Breathless, England pulled back and smiled at him. "I love you."</p>
<p>"I love you too." </p>
<p>
  <em>Feed the world<br/>Let them know it’s Christmastime<br/>Feed the world<br/>Let them know it’s Christmastime again</em>
</p>
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